Technique Tuesday – Piercing Pattern

from stampin' up blog   5/14/13

I loved the article below written by Melody H., Stampin' Up Concept Artist, and wanted to share it with you.  Have a great week!
 

Are you a fan of our paper-piercing tools? I know I am. I love that the templates are a quick and accurate way to add a bit of pattern and texture, and that they are designed to coordinate with so many of our punches and Framelits Dies.

The Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack has all of the basics. I used the template with the straight lines and the scallops to make my project, but I didn’t want just straight lines or scallops. I wanted the background of my card to be circles.


I could have used the template with the circles on it, but that would have been tedious and a bit more difficult getting the same circle lined up over and over again. Instead, I used the biggest scallop to make my circles.

Here’s how I did it:

1. Draw a line down the center of your cardstock with a pencil, then line up the holes at the tips of the scallop along the line and pierce the scallop.

 2. Rotate your paper 180 degrees and line up the scallop on the template with the pierced scallop on your paper. Pierce the scallop to complete the circles.


 3. Line up the pierced holes with the template as shown above and pierce the scallop to start the next row of circles. Rotate your paper 180 degrees again and line up the template as shown in step 2. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you’ve filled the entire piece of cardstock with pierced circles.



4. Your cardstock should look like this when you’re done. Erase your pencil line and attach it to a card base; embellish your project as desired.
 

May My Digital Studio FREE Download and Sale Details!

If you are following the monthly FREE My Digital Studio Wallpaper Calendar downloads, here's the one for May. You can click here to download it for free. You'll just need to Create, or Sign into, an Online Account and order the download. There is no cost to you, but please select me as your Demonstrator when you Create your Online Account - you never know when you'll want to order something online and you'll definitely want to take advantage of Preferred Pricing!

Also, starting tomorrow, May 1st, Stampin' Up is going to have a BIG sale on many MDS downloads and print products; 25% discount!  So click here to order your MDS items or go to www.mydigitalstudio.net to learn more about My Digital Studio.  At the website you'll find instructional videos on how to use MDS and you'll see great ideas for using MDS!

Stampin' Up Bloomin' Bouquet Project Kit Video & Details

Here's a great video from Stampin' Up showcasing the NEW Bloomin' Bouquet flower kit; it's awesome!  It's available starting today and only while supplies last.  Email subscribers will need to click over to my blog to view the video.



This easy-to-assemble kit comes complete with the petals, stems, and buttons to create the flowers, as well as four different tags to make this the perfect gift for any occasion. All you need is some paper, ribbon or a vase to add the finishing touches to the bouquet.

As if that weren't enough, the kit contains a "baker's dozen"! This means you can create and give (or keep) a dozen flowers, and have a bonus flower left over to pass along to someone new!

Ordering information:
Item 134542 $12.95 -  Available starting April 29, while supplies last.

Kit contents:
•2 sheets of preprinted and precut flowers on 12" X 12" cardstock; makes 13 flowers using Pool Party, Gumball Green, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, and Rich Razzleberry
•13 Vintage Faceted Buttons
•13 green floral wire stems

Adhesive not included. (Glue gun recommended.)

Tinting Jars and Numerical Retired Stamp Set List

ARTICLE FROM STAMPIN' UP BLOG 4/23/13; written by Cindy B, Stampin' Up Staff Writer:

Want another way to deliver May Day flowers? Try tinting a glass jar using Mod Podge and Classic Stampin’ Ink Refills. (I used Rich Razzleberry Stampin’ Ink Refill for this project.) The process is easy and the results are spectacular.

1. Add a few drops of Classic Stampin' Ink Refill to about 1 Tbsp. of water. (I used Rich Razzleberry for this project.) Mix with a spoon until blended.
2. Pour about 2 Tbsp. Mod Podge or white glue into a clear jar; add water and ink mixture. Stir.
3. Swirl mixture in jar until the sides are completely coated.
4. Turn jars upside down on newspaper for about ten minutes, then place right-side up to dry for several hours or until clear. To speed drying, put jars right-side up on waxed paper (on a cookie sheet) in a slightly warm oven (about 180 degrees) for 20–30 minutes or until completely clear.

Tip: Don’t put liquid in the jars as it will rinse off the color. I filled one of my jars with white sand and artificial flowers and the other with white sand and a flameless LED tea light. The latter was not May Day-esque, but still looked cool!

Also, I converted the Retired Stamp Set List so that stamp sets are listed by page number; if you'd like the PDF,  just contact me and I'll email it to you!  Have a great day!

Stampin Up Retiring Stamp Set List and Retiring Accessories List

Below are the lists; you can click on them to view them enlarged or you can click HERE for the PDF of Retiring Stamps or click HERE for the PDF of Retiring Accessories. ENJOY and don't forget that accessories are only available while supplies last!

 

Tuesday's Stampin' Up Blog Post: Pom Pom Tutorials

Tricky Tip Tuesday – Pretty Pom Poms

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY: Cindy B. - Sr. Staff Writer at Stampin' Up!

This Tuesday’s Tricky Tip is dedicated to pom poms! They were big in the 60s—so it has been fun (for some of us!) to see them make a comeback in the crafting world. Let’s start with Baker’s Twine mini pom poms.

Just follow the easy steps pictured below.



If you would like to create a garland, just thread a needle with a length of Baker’s Twine and run it through the pom poms.

After I finished making the Baker’s Twine pom poms, I began to wonder what would happen if I wound 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon around a fork instead of Baker’s Twine. To my surprise, the result looked very much like a marigold!

Then I thought: How can I create a bigger pom pom flower? The old-fashioned way: using cardboard donut shapes made with super-thin white cardboard, a 2-1/2" Circle Punch, a 1/2" Circle Punch, and our Daffodil Delight 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon. When I finished winding, cutting, and tying, out popped a daffodil . . . just the thing for embellishing a Mother’s Day gift! (Believe me . . . I don’t usually get this lucky!)




I could have kept going with flower-making . . . but then I saw a paper pom pom garland on Pinterest. I HAD to try that, too. The result: today’s Tricky Tip features three ways to make small pom pom projects—using Baker’s Twine, 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon, and Designer Series Paper. They are all so easy and fun!



The white daffodil petals were made using the Big Shot, the Fun Flower Bigz L Die, and our White Creped Filter Paper.

PERSONAL NOTE: Tax season is over and I'm recovering; I'm already sick with the throat and head crud darn it!   Thanks for hanging in there with me and we'll "talk" soon!

2 NEW great Stampin' Up Videos: SNEAK PEAK storage case and Photopolymer Stamps!

Here's a Stampin' Up video giving you a SNEAK PEAK of the new, wider plastic storage cases that will be available on May 31st when the new catalog goes live.  These storage cases were designed to hold wood mount stamp sets, but you could also use them to store and organize accessories! I know I'll be getting several of these!




And here's a great Stampin' Up video showing you what the Photopolymer stamps look like and how easily they work!



Email subscribers: don't forget that you need to click over to my blog to watch these videos. Just click on the blog post and you'll get to my blog!

 Have a great weekend everyone and I can't wait for Monday, April 15th to get here!